Ball is Life ... a term every young man or woman now shouts with the heart to
be the best in the game.
And that’s good but only if Jesus is at the center of
whatever life you live. The bible says, “What you should want most is God’s
kingdom and doing what He wants you to do. Then He will give you all these
other things you need” (Matthew 6:33, Easy-to-Read Version). So don’t go after
things, go after God and He will provide the things that you need. On average,
players play until they are about 30 years old, and 60 percent of NBA players
file for bankruptcy (can’t pay their bills) after 5 years of retirement. So
that means, about 3 out of the 5 players of a starting lineup will file for
bankruptcy. My point is that nothing lasts except what we do for God because
physical things get messed up and break down (e.g.: sneakers, cars, houses),
but spiritual things don’t (e.g.: mentoring and helping people around you, leading
them to Christ so that they can live forever). In my personal life God makes me
happy; the things He gives, the people He puts in my life make me happier; I
was happy with just God. So instead of basketball or accounting or music, make
God your focus and He will provide what you need to reach your full potential
with the gifts and talents that He gave you. He is not going to give you athleticism
if He doesn’t want you to use it. God wants you to be happy He made you who you
are and He knows what’s best for you (He knows everything). A lot of time what
we think is best is not and what we want is not always what’s best either, so
give Him your life and He will give you what you need to fulfill His plan for
you, which will make you very happy and successful (even if it’s not what you
see as success right now).
Michael Jordan is arguably the greatest basketball player of
all time, the player that every player is compared to. Championships, gold medals,
awards, respect, power, the hottest sneaker line of all time, team owner. But
his acceptance speech at his Hall of Fame induction was a little sad and revealing
(http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=aw-jordanhall091209
). MJ, the G.O.A.T., isn’t happy with everything he has done in his life and career,
there’s only one way and reason that’s possible, because Christ wasn’t and
still isn’t at the center of his life. So if “Basketball is Life” make Jesus the
center of that life.
By:Glen Jenkins
